A bust of the first man to go into outer space in 1961, the Russian Yuri Gagarin (1934 – 1968), has been unveiled at the Egyptian Space Agency (EGSA) in Cairo. The move comes within the framework of the activities of the Egypt-Russia Cultural Year 2020, which extends into 2021, and the unveiling was performed by Russia’s ambassador to Cairo Georgy Borisenko, and director of the Russian Cultural Centres in Egypt, Alexey Tevanyan, on 29 September 2020.
The Gagarin bust was created by sculptor Alexey Leonov and gifted to Egypt by the Russian government on the initiative of the Russian Cultural Centre in Cairo and the International Russian Charitable Fund which operates under the slogan “Dialogue of Cultures – One World”.
Attending the unveiling ceremony were Muhammed al-Qoussi, Executive Manager of EGSA, together with and a number of Russian scientists and diplomats, and Egyptian and Russian media figures.
An Arabic language documentary was screened about Gagarin’s visit to Egypt in 1962 when he was decorated with the Order of the Nile by President Gamal Abdel-Nasser.
The event also featured a photo exhibition on Russian achievements in space exploration, and a presentation on the activities of the Egyptian Space Agency by the agency’s Deputy-CEO Mohamed al-Iraqi.
In his speech, Mr Qoussi shed the light on the strong Egyptian-Russian relations, and noted that the two countries already have joint projects, for instance, the Aswan High Dam built across the Nile in Aswan, Egypt, between 1960 and 1970; and al-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), which will be Egypt’s first nuclear power plant built in Matrouh Governorate on the Mediterranean coast, 250km west of Alexandria.
For his part, Mr Borisenko expressed hope that the Gagarin bust in Egypt would become another symbol of friendship between the Russian and Egyptian peoples, and extended his thanks to the Egyptian people who hold good memories of the astronaut and the era of close partnership between the two countries.
Gagarin, born in 1934, was a Soviet Union pilot who became the first man in space in 1961, orbiting the earth on board the Vostok 1 capsule. He died in 1968 while piloting a jet that crashed. His body was cremated and his ashes interred in the walls of the Kremlin.
Watani International
6 October 2020